Two FAST-IP Sustainable Agriculture Projects Awarded €1.2 million in Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding

Image caption: Pictured (l-r) at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre, UCD Lyons Farm are Naomi Flood, Managing Authority, European Regional Development Fund;  Andrés Mori, Senior Programme Manager, Innovators' Initiative, Enterprise Ireland; Brian Russell and Jason Webb, members of the BiCo team; Timothy Quinlan, Mehal team member; Sandra O’Dwyer, Senior Commercialisation Specialist, Enterprise Ireland; James Healy, Industry Engagement Officer, Teagasc and Professor Nick Holden, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering and Academic Director, FAST-IP.

Dublin, Ireland, 21 May 2026, University College Dublin (UCD) today announced that two sustainable agriculture research projects, BiCO and Mehal, have secured a total of just over €1.2 million in commercialisation funding from Enterprise Ireland. 

BiCO is aiming to transform microalgae growth into a viable carbon utilisation process for sustainable protein production, while Mehal is developing a smart pest-intelligence platform to address escalating pressures on the horticulture sector from destructive pests.

Both projects have emerged from the Food and Agriculture Sustainable Technology Innovation Programme (FAST-IP), a specialist 12-month agrifood technology innovation programme delivered by the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering and NovaUCD in partnership with Teagasc under the Innovators’ Initiative Programme.

Professor Nick Holden, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering and Academic Director, FAST-IP, said, “As a dedicated entrepreneurship training programme FAST-IP is focused on strengthening innovation within Ireland’s agri-food sector, leading to the creation of high-potential and scalable start-ups with global potential to address real-world needs. 

I am delighted that BiCO and Mehal, two of the projects which completed our inaugural programme, are now clearly on the start-up pathway, having secured Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding. This funding will enable both teams to progress the translation of their projects into commercially viable start-ups over the next 2 years with the support of the NovaUCD team. I wish both teams every success.”

Microalgae offer enormous potential for carbon capture and sustainable protein production, but scaling has stalled due to inefficient CO₂ use and inconsistent biomass supply. BiCO is developing a breakthrough technology that converts captured CO₂ into a stable, pH-controlled bicarbonate solution that microalgae absorb directly, cutting input costs, doubling biomass yields, and eliminating CO₂ losses. 

This enables industrial-scale, low-cost cultivation and transforms microalgae growth into a viable Carbon Utilisation as a Service (CUaaS) for generations of high-value protein for food, feed, and other cascading bio-based products, delivering a strong commercial return and decarbonisation impact.

The members of the BiCO team, which has been awarded €600k in funding are, Associate Professor Ronald Halim, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, Professor Eoin Casey, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, along with Brian Russell and Jason Webb, who completed the FAST-IP programme.

Protected horticulture faces escalating pressure from destructive pests, driving significant crop losses annually. In high-value soft-fruit systems, infestations often go undetected until damage is done. Mehal offers a smart pest-intelligence platform that uses novel eDNA-based molecular detection techniques to identify harmful pest species earlier and deliver timely, species-specific alerts to growers, agronomists and integrated pest management providers. This enables more precise intervention, reduces avoidable crop losses, and supports EU-Green Deal targets. 

The members of the Mehal team, which has been awarded €635k in funding are, Associate Professor Jens Carlsson and Jeanette Carlsson, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, along with Natasha Page-Wood, Timothy Quinlan and Rakesh Rayapureddi, who completed the FAST-IP programme.

Dr Siobhán Jordan, Head of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, Teagasc, said, “I welcome the success of FAST-IP participants in securing Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding. FAST-IP reflects the strength of the collaboration between Teagasc and UCD in supporting sustainable agri-food innovation and accelerating the pathway from research to commercial impact. The achievements of BiCO and Mehal are a strong endorsement of the programme and of the talented participants developing solutions for real challenges facing agriculture and food systems.”

The focus of Enterprise Ireland’s Commercialisation Fund is to support the translation of research projects emerging from third-level institutions, such as UCD and Teagasc, into innovative and commercially viable products, services and companies.

Emma Callinan, Head of Research Commercialisation, Enterprise Ireland, said, “These projects reflect Enterprise Ireland’s ambition to build a globally competitive, innovation-led Irish economy by transforming world-class research into scalable enterprises. BiCO and Mehal showcase how Ireland’s agri-food sector can lead the way in developing sustainable, technology-driven solutions to meet future global food needs while driving Irish economic growth.”

Naomi Flood, Managing Authority, European Regional Development Fund, said, ”The Southern Regional Assembly is delighted to support FAST-IP through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027. Projects such as BiCO and Mehal show how needs-led innovation can turn real-world challenges into scalable solutions, supporting sustainable regional growth and enterprise development.”

The application process for the third FAST-IP programme (September 2026 to August 2027), which takes place at the AgTechUCD Innovation Centre at UCD Lyons Farm, is currently underway. 

FAST-IP is supported under the Innovators’ Initiative Programme co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-2027.

ENDS

For further information, contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, NovaUCD, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.

Editors Notes

FAST-IP, a full-time, 12-month, in-person programme aimed at mid-career professionals, provides participants with the skills necessary to evaluate, select and validate ideas for new products and services in the agrifood sector, and to accelerate the commercialisation pathway of these ideas.

Aligned with Ireland’s national agrifood strategy, Food Vision 2030, FAST-IP aims to support establishing Ireland as a leader in sustainable food systems by balancing climate-smart agriculture, environmental and economic sustainability, and innovation.

FAST-IP provides participants with a €38,000 tax-free scholarship during the programme.

For further information and to apply for the next FAST-IP programme (September 2026 to August 2027), visit: https://www.ucd.ie/innovation/fast-ip/